What an athlete means when she says, "I can't do it."

By Ryan Maloney, assistant women's volleyball coach



In some cases, when an athlete says "I can't do it," she actually means she can't do it. We then change our expectations to something more manageable.

But more often, when the athlete says "I can't do it," she actually means, "I'm scared, and I just wanted you to know."

In the second case, she already knows she can do it. Saying "yes you can," isn't helpful. It's redundant.